


Burnt Offerings

by Kisses-sweeterthan-Wine (MoodyMuddy)



Category: Old Hollywood
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 23:30:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14389383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoodyMuddy/pseuds/Kisses-sweeterthan-Wine
Summary: Marlene is sick and being looked after by her lover Greta Garbo





	Burnt Offerings

Dressed in an old grey fluffy towelling robe and matching slippers that perfectly matched the colour of Marlene's face, save for the tomato coloured nose, she dragged herself into the kitchen and croaked out a greeting to her brunette lover who was shimmying around the kitchen to some singer who, to Marlene, sounded akin to a cat's claws being scratched down a chalkboard. Sitting herself at the table and trying hard to ignore the sounds of torture coming from the radio she reached for her silver cigarette case sitting by her place at the table then pushed back from the table with a strangled cry that ended in a coughing fit as her two slices of toast flew out of the toaster and landed on the table in a black smoking mess that more resembled the charcoal Marlene would use to sketch with from time to time.

"Jag är ledsen!" The apology was a cry of alarm that sounded in those dulcit tones as her lover was by her side in an instant, trying to comfort her while simoultaneously trying to pick up the bread that was so charred it was crumbling as she put her fingers on it. Unfortunately the cry of alarm was far too loud for Marlene's poor stuffed up head and all she could do was make a noise of distress as she tried to steady her head between her hands while her lover, Greta, tried to clean the table of all traces of the toast. "Maybe just fix me a bowl of cereal liebchen" Marlene spoke then, though her usual purred words sounded more like a frog as she was so ill with the flu. Even Greta couldn't mess up pouring out a bowl of cereal she thought to herself. The abashed brunette finally managed to pick up the charred remains and as she went to move past the blonde to get rid of the burnt offerings she stopped to kiss those soft silky blonde curls and promptly spilled the blackened bread into her lover's lap, all down the front of the rose silk negligee Marlene was dressed in. Making a second noise of distress, this one laced with frustration, she pushed at the pale hands flapping over her front to get rid of the toast bits, "Just leave it liebling, you will make it only worse". After a few moments of brushing her own hands over the front of her negligee she was once again free of the darn cremated bread. Finally she was able to light one of her cigarettes from the silver case she still held in one hand.

Sitting back in her chair Marlene closed those beautiful blue-grey eyes as she took that first indrawn breath of that sweet nicotine. Her serene mood wasn't too last though, as again she was plagued by that dreadful hacking cough that had her doubling over as she held the cigarette between two fingers out to one side. Finally, once the coughing fit had passed, she sat back in the chair and closed her eyes, wishing she'd done as her lover had suggessted and stayed in bed. Cracking open one eye she watched her lover surreptitiously, wincing as the cupboard door banged against the wall. With her head now throbbing even worse than before a sickly looking Marlene wobbled to her feet then clutched the back of the chair for dear life until slowly the overally sunshine filled room stopped it's can can dancing and behaved itself enough for her to gingerly put one foot in front of the other to go back upstairs. Really, being downstairs was hurting her head far too much. It was all she could do to stay upright in the chair let alone manage with all the noise around. Reaching the bottom of the stairs she looked up slowly and whimpered, on a normal day she would take the stairs two at a time but today she found the staircase was more like mount everest and the pinnacle that was her prize was her warm and comfy bed with utter blackness and deafening silence.

Looking around in time to see those blonde curls dissappearing out of the door once more Greta hurriedly put down the bowl of cereal she'd been carefully carrying to the table and hurried after her sick lover, catching up as the blonde lifted a foot to place on the first stair. "Vait Lena, let me help you vith that". Ducking under the outstretched arm where one soft pale skinned hand was on the bannister she wound an arm around the blonde's waist as her other arm went to wrap around the blonde's middle so that as they climbed the stair case a step at a time more and more Greta was supporting Marlene until, at last, Marlene gave up on the bannister and instead leant her weight against the brunette beside her while they reached the top step. Half falling, half walking throught the door into the bright and airy bedroom the pair stumbled over to the bed while Marlene gave a soft pain filled moan and closed her amazing blue-grey eyes against the bright Californian sun filling the room with it's light and heat. "Close the curtains liebling, please, the light, it hurts my eyes"

While her brunette lover hurried to do just that the blonde flopped down onto her back on the bed and stayed there staring at the ceiling until that terrible hacking cough had her sitting bolt upright again before she doubled over from the force of the hacks. While her blonde curls fell over her face as she coughed and coughed she was only dimly aware of her lover moving about the room, that was until suddenly a soft comforting hand was placed on her back and a glass of water was offered to her. Taking it gratefully in both hands she shakily lifted the tall glass to her lips and took a mouthful of the clear cold liquid, relishing the coolness relieving the fire burning in her throat. Handing back the glass to the brunette she flopped down again to rest on the pillows with her eyes only half open against the now near darkness in the bedroom "thank you liebling. Is it possible to get that bowl of cereal in bed? I am hungry". Settling the blonde back against the pillows then making sure she was covered with the blankets and the comforter Greta smiled and pressed her soft velveteen lips to that clammy grey skinned forehead that was normally creamy skinned, "I vill get it for you now, vould you like anything else Lena?". Speaking softly so as not to further enrage her lover's headache she bustled around with pillows and more blankets, trying to get her lover as comfortable as she could possibly be. "No, no no, the cereal will be enough liebling. Thank you", giving a wan smile she settled comfortably against the pillows and closed her eyes. Until her lover brought up the promised bowl of cereal she would rest awhile, see if perhaps her head would stop gyrating for a while.

Waking to the darkness of the room she chuffed out a soft breath, what was taking the brunette so long? As if to second that sentiment her stomach gave a low long growl; she was hungrier than ever now. Sitting up she gave a yawn and slowly looked around the room only to blink then frown at the tray on the table near the door; her bowl of cereal was sitting there with a spoon and a mug of what she could only assume was coffee. Getting to her feet she slowly walked across the room only to huff all the more at the soggy mass of wheat flakes swimming in the milk and, when she put her hand around the mug, the stone cold coffee. She knew her lover was no good in the kitchen but this was even worse than usual..unless she had slept later than she thought. Disoriented now as well as hungry she made her way to the bedroom door and opened it, only to stop and blink as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness that had her poor head doing somersaults again. Letting it settle for a moment or two she slowly placed one foot in front of the other and gradually inched her way down the staircase.

She was barely half way down the staircase when she heard the sudden blaring of the smoke alarm accompanied by the smell of burning. "Liebchen!" With a paniced cry she hurried her descent down to the ground floor then hurried her way along thr hallway while covering her ears with her hands. As she drew near the kitchen doorway she could just hear her lover's voice above the din then suddenly there was a triumphant sound and the house fell silent, altough the smell of burning still pervaded the air. With trepidation in every step now she entered the kitchen only to stop as a cry of distress welled up inside her to be let free; her beautiful kitchen, her pride and joy was chaos. Everywhere she looked there was a dusting of flour with broken eggs in a heap by the still wide open fridge door, used pots and pans cluttering the work surfaces, one of her recipe books open with gravy stained fingerprints along the edges of the pages and her lover, dressed in one of her aprons with rolled up sleeves passed the elbows no longer had those brown tresses; instead her lover's hair had turned white from the dusting of flour in it. Walking into the kitchen properly the questions that were on the tip of her tongue died instantly as she saw what her lover was looking at with a proud smile of satisfaction; a rather charred and lopsided looking meat pie that had gravy bubbling out from under the top. But still it was made.


End file.
